Can holding devices



Oct. 16, 1956 J. c. ELZE-R 2,766,891

CAN HOLDING DEVICES Filed Dec. 24, 1952 if F 47.2.

J50 HHI INVENTDP JERALD B. E L ZER ATTUJFNEY United States Patent CAN HOLDING DEVICES Jerald C. Elzer, Syracuse, N. Y.

Application December 24, 1952, Serial No. 327,761

2 Claims. (Cl. 211-71) This invention relates to cylindrical can holding devices, and more particularly to a device for attachment to the bottom of an ice cream can and adapted to cooperate with the side walls of a freezer compartment to resist rotation of the can.

In dispensing ice cream in bulk from the \open top end of cylindrical containers positioned within a freezer chest, difliculty is encountered in preventing rotation of the can in response to scooping pressure applied to the frozen contents therein. Due to the consistency of the ice cream in a frozen state, and the closely spaced confining walls of the freezer compartment, it is practically impossible to grip the can to resist turning moments resulting from attempts at scooping the contents therefrom. When the can is partially empty, the rim of the can can be held by one hand by the operator, but such practice is awkward, as well as undesirable for sanitary reasons.

The present invention is directed to a unitary device adapted to be placed upon .he lower end of the can in gripping relation thereto, such device being provided with freezer wall engaging blocks or flats to resist rotation. The invention is further directed to a device of the character referred to, so constructed as to be readily aflixed in gripping relation to a can bottom, and having handlelike provisions in conjunction with the blocks for facilitating the placing of containers in a freezer or removing such containers, or holding a container in stacked alignment with a container beneath acting as a support. The device is further adapted to rest on the floor of the compartment, or upon a container, it being the practice to provide a freezer depth sufficient to accommodate two 2% gallon cans in stacked relation. The invention further has to do with the construction of such device in such manner that the same may be readily and economically molded or otherwise formed from inexpensive plastic or other suitable material.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understood that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as adefinition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts: 7

Figure 1 is aside elevational view of the can holder positioned between two stacked containers in a freezer well;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the holder of Figure 1, with the can removed, and as viewed from the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the internally ribbed flange taken on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3;

2,766,891 Patented Oct. 16, 1956 "ice Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the diagonal line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a transversesectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a substantially full scale sectional view through the can rim gripping flanges, showing a modified form adapted to grip two stacked cans; and

Figure 8 is a substantially full scale sectional view through the can rim gripping flanges showing another modified form adapted to grip two stacked cans.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown in dotted lines the general outline of the side walls of a freezer cabinet, the side walls being indicated at 10 and 12 and the bottom wall being indicated at 14. Ice cream cont-ainers are generally of 2% gallon capacity, and measuring about 9" in diameter and 9" high. Two such containers 16 and 18 are shown in Figure 1. Such containers are generally of heavy paper or cardboard construction, and the side walls are joined to the bottom in a metal circular sectioned bead 20, and the top rim is provided with a similar bead 22. The top and bottom beads 20 and 22 are of approximately the same overall diameter.

Assuming ice cream or other frozen confection is to be scooped from the upper can 18, there is ordinarily nothing to prevent the container from turning as a result of the scooping operation. Unless the container be held in some manner, it is practically impossible to collect any confection in the scoop, because. of its still frozen consistency.

In order to facilitate the scooping of ice cream from such a container, there is provided .a novel holding device 24 of a unitary form, the same being in the form of a shallow inverted cap, and being constituted by a relatively flat disk-like portion 26 having 18.11 integral upstanding co tinuous rim or flange 28. Formed integral with the rim and external thereof are block-like projections gene-rally indicated as at 30, such block-like projections affording opposed flats in the form of opposed parallel surfaces 32 and 34, spaced apart diametrically across the holder by a distance slightly less than the width between the freezer side walls 16 and 12. In practice, it is desirable to provide four such blocks, affording flats or surfaces 32 and 34, shown adjacent the walls 10 and 12, and flat surfaces 36 and 38, the latter being spaced apart by a distance the same as that between surfaces 32 and 34, so as to cooperate with the spaced side walls of a container, should the device be inserted into a cabinet, rotated The surfaces are of a suflicient width to resist rotation after very slight movement, and are of a vertical Width sufficient to provide adequate bearing.

Each of such blocks are preferably of T-cross-section, except Where tangential to the rim as at 46, the T-crosssection comprising webs 42 of a thickness similar to that of the central disk-like portion 26, and lying in the same plane. The flanges 44 extending upwardly from the Web 42 are of a thickness suflicient, when combined with the strength of the adjoining web 42, to withstand the wedging action against the freezer chest side Walls resulting from torque applied to the container held in the flange 28. A downwardly extending flange 46 is provided, in substantial alignment with the flange 44, but such flange 46 is of uniform cross-section and does not have the tangential relationship to the annular flange 28, that is, the two blending together tangentially as at 4%). It will be seen that the flanges 46 support the web somewhat above any surface upon which the holder may be resting, so that a finger grip beneath the webs 42 may be had to lift the holder. Additionally, the spacing between the inside opposed surfaces, for example, 50 and 52, of such flanges is sufliciently wide to loosely fit over the top of a supporting lower can, as well as any cap having an external flange or skirt, which might ,be positioned on the lower can.

In order to provide a grip uponthe bead of a can seated within the flange, a series of internal ribs 54 may be provided on the inside surface of the annular flange 28, such being of uniform cross-section, and ha ing a rounded tapered upper end as at 56' to facilitate wedging the bead in place. 7 a

The holder may be formed of a' plastic such as polyethylene or other suitable material, it being desirable to utilize a material not subject to expansion or contraction or changes in resilient characteristics when exposed to a wide temperature range. In practice, the material enr ployed may have slight resiliency, so that the :annular flange 28 is spread slightly when'the bottom bead of a can is seated within the flange and in engagement with the gripping ribs or elements 54.

The holding device thus described is readily attached to the bottom of the can, and will not drop off in case the can is lifted or carried by gripping the cylindrical side wall rather than the webs or blocks of the holder.

' On the other hand, the holder may be readily disengaged from a can bottom by application of downward pressure upon the blocks or Webs, such pressure tending to distort the annular flange 28 outwardly in the immediate vicinity to assist in releasing the holder.

While" the holder thus described will adequately hold a 'can against turning and perform in the manner described, in some instances it may be considered desirable to provide a holder which. will. engage both the top bead of a supporting can and the lower head of the supported can, the supporting can in such case having its cover removed and utilizing the holder as a temporary cover. In Figure 7, there is shown by way of illustration, a fragmentary sectional view of a holder which is provided with an upward extending annular flange 60 for gripping the bottom bead of. a can, and a downward extending annular flange 62 for gripping :the rim bead of a supporting can, both flanges being provided with ribs 64 similar in all respects to the ribs 54. Such modification is symmetrical on either side of a horizontal plane extending through the disk-like central portion 66, so

thatthe holder is always right side up, regardless of which face is presented upwardly, and the symmetrical halves correspond precisely with theupper half of the form a the ice cream in the lower container to which it may be applied, it being understood that the cover of such container is removed, an annular spacing shoulder 72 is provided to seat upon the rim bead. The flanges 74 and 76 may have an annular rib 78 providing an annular pocket 8010 receive the can bead, the rib 78 being elastically stretched over the can bead and being adapted to engage the can side wall adjacent the bead. This form is also provided with blocks having surface flats, in the same manner as heretofore described in connection with Figure 7 and Figures 1-6. I

It will be seen from the foregoing that the holders described may be readily formed of inexpensive material in a molding operation, so that the holders may be economically produced. At the same time, such holders may be easily cleaned, and when applied to a can, will render it unnecessary for one scooping ice cream toperform the awkward manual holding attempts previously necessitated.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention and several modifications have been illustrated and described, it is to, be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. As various changes in the construction and arrangement be made without departing from the spirit-- ward extending straight flanges on diametrically opposed sides thereof, and a circularcylindrical flange on one side of said body portion located slightly within the upward extending straight flanges, said circular flange being adapted to engage the'rim of the bottom of 'a circular can seated upon said body portion, and said downward extending flanges having internal facing surfaces spaced slightly more than the internal diameter of said flange to loosely embrace the cover of a circular can,

said straight flanges having exterior plane surfaces adapted V to engage the spaced parallel walls of a freezer cabinet to prevent relative rotation between the device and 'cabi- 7 net.

2. A cabinet wall engaging and can gripping device for holding cylindrical cans containing bulk frozen confec- 'tion against rotation when positioned within a freezer cabinet, said device comprising a circular relatively flat bodyportion, said body portion having upward and downward extending straight flanges on diametrically opposed side s thereof; and a circular cylindrical flange on one side of said body portion located slightly Withinthe upward extending straight flanges, said circular flange having circumferentially spaced internal elementally ex-' tending ribs and being adapted to engage and grip the rim of the bottom of a circular can seated upon said body portion, and said downward extending flanges having in-; ternal facing surfaces a spaced slightly more than the internal diameter of said flange to loosely embrace the cover of a circular can, said straight flanges having exterior plane surfaces adapted toengage the spaced parallel walls of a freezer cabinet to prevent relative rotation between'the device and cabinet.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 871,099 Baker Nov. 19, 1907 1,459,582 Dubee June 19, 1923 1,957,263 Gray May 1, 1934. 2,052,726 I Schleier Sept. 1, 1936 2,197,326 Streyle Apr. 16 1940 2,328,543 Baurnan Sept. 7-, 1943 2,354,935 Andrea Aug. 1, 1944 2,412,756 Smith Dec. 17, 1946 2,532,244 Pasmore 4..-. Nov. 28, 1950 2,633,248 Goldenberg Mar.'31, 1953 

